ADAMS TWP — After a primary election that saw accusations of dirty politics and negative campaigning, the General Election campaign for five spots on the Mars Area School Board has been relatively quiet.

But that doesn’t make the stakes any less important when voters head to the polls Tuesday, as nine candidates seek one of those five spots — four of which are guaranteed to be taken by newcomers.

Board members Steven Boggs, Rebecca Brown, John Kennedy, William Pettigrew and Bonnie Weaver will see their terms expire this year, having all won their seats in 2015. Only Kennedy is seeking re-election.

Challenging him are Jill Ceasar, Anthony DePretis, Kevin Hagen, Megan Lenz, John Neurohr, Jill Roda, Bill Sommers and Sallie Wick.

In May’s primary election, Kennedy was the lead vote-getter on the Republican ballot with 1,725. He was followed by Wick, 1,578; Hagen, 1,551; DePretis, 1,544; and Lenz, 1,481. As the top five, they moved on to the general election.

Lenz received 1,053 votes on a Democratic ballot that featured five candidates who all move on to the general election, including Roda, Neurohr, Sommers and Ceasar.

Only Tricia Holland, who finished sixth on the Republican ballot, did not move on to the general election, receiving 1,471 votes.

The four new members will join incumbents Rita Dorsch, Dayle Ferguson, Gordon Marburger and Christine Valenta, who won seats in 2017, and would face re-election in 2021. Ferguson, who serves as president, has indicated that she does not intend to run again, nor does she wish to serve as president after the school year.

The change in representation coincides with changes on the horizon in the district.

In January, the board opted to approve Superintendent Wesley Shipley’s contract for just one year. At the time, Ferguson said the board couldn’t “in good faith for what’s best for the future of this school district make a long-term commitment to the chief executive.”

Shipley’s contract runs through June 30.

Those who win seats will also be faced with shrinking state contributions to the district’s budget, which officials said must rely heavily on the local tax base. Although there is no tax increase projected for the upcoming year, the current budget included a 2.4 mill increase to bridge a $1.5 million deficit. Officials said the 2019-20 budget has a similar deficit that will be made up through new development in the area as well as money from the district’s fund balance.

Budget discussions also have led to further conversations about school security and staffing issues, both of which are addressed in next year’s budget, officials said.

This is occurring as the district undertakes a $14.6 million project to renovate the 50-year-old middle school. The project is expected to be completed this year.